Jamie Armitage’s sixty-five minute play was first seen at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023, where it enjoyed a “sold-out” run. It is based on a real interrogation between an Ontario Staff Sergeant and Colonel Russell Williams, a seemingly respectable man who has agreed to a voluntary interview to assist police enquiries into the death of one young woman and the disappearance of another. Inspired by this real-life case, Armitage’s play depicts a “conversation” between detective and suspect, Cameron Andrews, which is polite on the surface but soon escalates as he is questioned by an ambitious, headstrong, young, British detective, Ruth Palmer.
Rosie Sheehy is very believable as Palmer: she quickly convinces us that she believes Cameron guilty, but this is based on “gut reaction” rather than experience, let alone evidence, and she is very clever in making the character appear to Andrews even less experienced than she is.
Jamie Ballard’s portrayal of the interviewee is quite superb. Like Sheehy he uses only as much voice as is essential, therefore almost forcing us to listen, such as when he “notices” that she has removed her engagement ring for the interview and tries to turn things so that he has the upper hand for a short while, Palmer allowing this to happen in order to make him feel more “at ease”, as if he is really winning! To give any more examples, of which there are many, would be to give away too much of the plot, but, suffice to say, there are many twists and turns in this hour long interview before we start to know what really happened. Ballard also has a stillness in his acting which is almost hypnotic, and is not afraid of extended moments of silence to build tension.
The least developed role is that of senior investigating officer John Culin. Armitage seen to have written this role as a stereotype of what we all think of a typical TV style detective, and he appears so infrequently that the play might be stronger and more focussed without him! Colin Gormley does all that is possible with this character, which is not to damn with faint praise: he is just not given the opportunities the other two are!
Sarah Mercade’s set, even in the intimate space of Hampstead Downstairs, does not feel claustrophobic enough. Also, there are some anomalies: for example, the interviewee’s chair should surely be fixed to the floor so that he cannot pick it up and use it as a weapon. The same applies to the water cooler, which would be in the corridor outside, not in the room as a potential weapon to be used by the suspect. There is also no panic strip around the walls of the interview room – (spoiler alert) if only there had been!
However, much of the play is totally gripping, thanks to the quality of the acting, as well as the direction by the playwright, and aided by five live cameras with their footage visible to the audience. There is a functional overhead camera recording the whole interview which we see projected on the rear wall of the set, as well as others directed onto faces and under the interview table so that we can see what both the protagonists’ hands are telling us – very imaginative and continually adding to the pressure. Dan Light must be very highly praised for the ways in which this inventive video enhancement aids the play, as well as our understanding.
The 65 minutes fly by and by the end we, the audience, feel exhausted, as if we had actually been in the room. Strongly recommended!
Review by John Groves
In an innovative exploration of technology versus reality, the production cleverly utilises livestream cameras to manipulate the audience’s point of view. It is a thrilling and claustrophobic cross-examination of society’s preconceived ideas about the kinds of people who commit crimes.
An Interrogation is based on a real interview between Ontario Provincial Police Detective Staff Sergeant James Smith and a seemingly respectable man, Colonel Russell Williams. In the show, a man agrees to a voluntary interview to assist the police’s enquiries into the death of a young woman and the disappearance of another. Inspired by the disturbing real-life case, Armitage’s play depicts a conversation between detective and suspect which is polite on the surface but soon escalates into an interrogation of power and class. While Cameron Andrews might initially seem the least likely person to be connected to a murder investigation, a different story begins to emerge moment by moment as he is questioned by an ambitious young detective.
CAST
Ruth Palmer – Rosie Sheehy
Cameron Andrews – Jamie Ballard
John Culin – Colm Gormley
CREATIVES
Writer/Director – Jamie Armitage
Producer – Ellie Keel
Designer – Sarah Mercade
Lighting Designer – Jonathan Chan
Sound Design / Composer – Tom Foskett-Barnes
Video Designer – Dan Light
Casting Director – Becky Paris
AN INTERROGATION
Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London Nw3 3EU
16 January to 22 February 2025
